African Voices

The art of a good compilation is to take the listener seamlessly from track to track even when there appears to be little in common either musically or culturally between some of the artists. The Lusafrica label predominantly produces music from the Portuguese diaspora but on African Voices they include selections from across Africa, North to South. The link is that all of the choices are eminently listenable in a wonderfully melancholic, but simultaneously uplifting, fashion.

Naturally enough the label’s two major league players are included – the late Cesaria Evora from Cape Verde and Bonga from Angola. Cesaria opens the collection in a duet with fellow countryman Teofilo Chantre. The album’s general tone is immediately set with violin and piano backed by a gently shuffling rhythm section and the typical melancholia of the saudade song idiom prevalent in Cape Verde. Cesaria also duets on a beautiful track with female Cape Verdean star Lura. Lura’s reputation has already been established but other new voices show great promise here – Sia Tolno from Guinea Conackry sings in English on the title track from her album My Life, on which she sounds a little like a young African version of Cleo Laine.

Chiwoniso from Zimbabwe also sings delightfully in English. The gentle atmosphere continues as the track selection swirls around Central and southern Africa with Congolese veteran Wendo Kolosoy, South African female trio the Mahotella Queens and the promising new French voice of Nathalie Natiembé from La Réunion. Finally the selection drifts north-west toward the intoxicating Saharan sounds of Malouma from Mauritania, Mounira Mitchala from Chad, and the spicy Gnawa sound of Hasna El Becharia of Algeria. It all flows together nicely, there’s nothing too exuberant to disturb the neighbours, and it’s an ideal way to discover a few new names.